Page 16 - Chiense TExtiles, MET MUSEUM Pub 1934

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
of Lou-Ian, and the importance of these now established
Han fragments cannot be overestimated, particularly in
the light they throw on the history of weaves and the
evolution of pattern. There is every reason to believe that
most of these textiles date from at least the first century
2
B. c., but the terminus ad quem could not be later than
the third century A. D. Since the Stein discoveries includ-
ed a host of exciting things besides textiles, it was neces-
sarily a matter of several years before they could be pub-
lished. In 1921 Serindia appeared, comprising .five large
volumes. In analyzing the textiles Stein had the collab-
oration of Miss F. M.G. Lorimer, a special assistant, and
of Fred H. Andrews, head of the Amar Singh Tech-
nical Institute, Srinagar, Kashmir. Together they pro-
duced an adequate technical description of these frag-
ments/ most of which had to be got immediately be-
tween glass to keep them from crumbling. The Stein
expeditions were republished in 1928 in Innermost Asia
with additions and corrections. In 1924 most of the ob-
2 Stein, Burlington Magazine, vol. XXXVII, p. 5·
3 On the basis of the drawings and photographs of these frag-
ments in Serindia and the Burlington Magazine (see footnote 2),
questions have arisen about the analyses of some of the weaves
as published. Since the fragments are for the most part in India
a proper study is not now possible; we did, however, check one
of the questioned weaves in London and found it to be exactly
as described. The drawing of this fragment, however, was mis-
leading and we are therefore inclined to believe that the fault lies
with the illustrations, not with the analyses.

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